Sleeping Baka
part oneAs our story begins, a book opens with gold lettering on the cover stating the title of this book, Sleeping Baka. Not the most wonderful of all titles but it serves it's purpose. Along with the cover, many pages turn till at last we come to the first page, chapter one. Now's about the time lovely music plays and we introduce the characters and setting. First off, this is an age of magic, knights, kingdoms and chivalry. Two kingdoms of equal power and wealth thrive on one land bound by the bond of friendship between them. These are the royal families known as Yuy and Churchill. On this day, rejoicing and festivities are held as the birth of the Churchill heir is celebrated. It is here, in their glorious castle, that our story begins, once upon a time...
The trumpets blared and the banners flew as the servants catered to and announced everybody that was found in the great hall of the Churchill castle. Commoners and royalty alike gathered with gifts to grace the newborn child. King Philip Yuy and his queen brought many golden presents but none so valuable as their son's, whose gift was to offer friendship. Young Prince Heero, who was of an age no more than one, hobbled up the red carpet and stood before the greeting royalty. King Richard Churchill smiled at the young boy and waved to his friends, "Philip, how nice of you to come! It was been too long for I remember your young prince only as the weeping baby you complained to having kept you up all night!"
Philip laughed and shook Richard's hand, "Yes, indeed it has been a long time. And I've heard you've been rather busy! I hear you've acquired a son!"
"Not the daughter we had hoped for but he's stolen my heart. Come see, he's the face of an angel!"
Richard gestured towards the golden cradle sitting in the middle of the royal platform. There, wrapped in white blankets and laying upon red velvet, slept the small baby.
Philip chuckled, "No, not a daughter. Though I would have loved to have seen our kingdoms united by marriage, we may at least hope for the next generation to keep the tradition of peace and friendship between us."
Richard Churchill placed a firm hand on his friends shoulder, "And to that, we drink! Servants, a bottle of wine! This is a day of celebration!"
The two men laughed and cheered, neither seeing the curious toddler who tried desperately to see into the crib himself, to spy what his father had been looking at. Young Heero pouted in aggravation, his tiny body not tall enough to even allow him to see beyond the legs of the cradle. Without warning, two pale hands lifted him by the waist just high enough to see over the side. Curiosity turned, Heero gazed up at two startling sea colored eye that shown with warmth and compassion.
"Go ahead," a sincere voice beckoned, "Say hello to your new friend."
Heero blinked dumbly and complied, tilting his round face to the side with fascination at the sleeping baby below.
The voice spoke again, "His name is Solo, my young prince. Can you say that?"
Heero starred at the baby, "Solo."
"Put him down, Quatre." a stern voice called.
Quatre turned and frowned upon the boy standing behind him, "Come on, Trowa. Children are so tender and sweet. It would do you a world of good to hold one once in a while."
"It's no use talking with him, " a Chinese boy called out, "He was the one who gave Young Prince Heero the gift of destruction."
Quatre bit his lip, "Oh... I'd forgotten about that." he set Heero down and stood with the others before the reigning royalty.
"Your Majesty King Richard," a servant called out, "I present to you the three-just-fairy-men-who-just-happen-to-have-magical-powers-and-wings-but-are-in-no-way-effeminate-unless-you-count-the-blonde-one."
Quatre sweat dropped.
"Ah, yes! Welcome! I assume you're here on business rather than pleasure."
"Business is always a pleasure, Your Majesty." Trowa said with a bow.
"Suck up."
Trowa looked sternly at the Chinese boy, "Comments, Wufei?"
"Yes. I believe we should give the new prince his gifts and let the celebration continue before anything bad and unsuspecting happens."
The Churchill Queen smiled and clasped her hands, "Ooooh! Foreshadowing!"
King Richard nodded and gestured towards the cradle and his sleeping son. Trowa was the first to step forward and brandished his magical index finger.
"I wish to bless this child with the gift of song."
A red light gathered at the tip of his finger and dispelled into the baby at his touch. Solo cooed and smiled in his sleep.
Quatre was next, lifting his magical ring finger, "I wish to bless this child with the gift of prate."
A green light gathered at the tip of his finger and dispelled into the baby at his touch.
Trowa looked at Quatre with confusion, "Prate? What the hell is that?"
He shrugged his shoulders, "I don't know."
Wufei came last, lifting his magical middle finger.
Quatre sweat dropped.
"I wish to bless this child with the gift of-"
"STOP!"
The large doors, which marked entry to the great hall, flew wide open, admitting a tall man in a long black robe with long white hair. He walked to the King and Queen and cracked his staff against the cool granite floor, the raven sitting on its perch unmoved and unfazed. "I am deeply upset by this, my Lords. I am also your neighbor, am I not? My kingdom of Sanq lies just beyond your eastern boarded. Why was I not invited to this celebration?"
King Richard bowed, "Great Peacecraft, I'm honored by your presence. However, no invitation was needed. This is an open event."
The staff struck the floor again, "How dare you insult my intelligence like that! Are you threatening the peace treaty made between us? Do you forget that I am the most powerful wizard in the world? Must I show myself to prove to you I am worthy of your fear and respect?"
"No, no, nothing like that! I am deeply sorry, Great Peacecraft! Please, stay and join us in the festivities. You honor us." King Richard offered, holding to the man a goblet of wine.
Peacecraft tossed it away, his sapphire gaze cold and unfeeling, "You misunderstand, Your Majesty. I came here not to rejoice but to also bestow gifts upon your child. I see, however, he has already been given quite a many things so to him, I wish to grant the one thing he has not yet acquired. His death."
A collective gasp rang through the court.
"Great Peacecraft you can't mean to-"
"Your son will die!" he continued, pointing steadily at Richard Churchill, "Die by love's first kiss before the age of sixteen."
Before the guards could be called or sword could be drawn out, a flash of dark clouds swirled around the dark mans form and in an instant, he was gone leaving nothing but the heavy presence of his words. The Churchill Queen fainted promptly. King Richard fell into his thrown, the sound of his baby's tears echoing in the perfect silence.
Wufei cleared his throat, "Excuse me, can I got back to blessing your child?"
Everyone turned and starred at the single minded young man.
Trowa looked from Wufei to the king and stepped forward, "Your Majesty, Wufei has not yet granted your son with his own gift."
"Then he can undo this horrible spell?"
Quatre shook his head solemnly, "The Great Peacecraft is stronger than us, even combined. But Wufei can do something to help. I'm sure of it."
The king looked hopeful and nodded for Wufei to continue.
"Thank you," Wufei walked over to the cradle and raised his magical middle finger once again.
Again, Quatre sweat dropped.
"I wish to bless this child with the essence of 'Death'.
Succumb by surprise, all attendants of the former celebration fell to the ground in shock.
"Wufei!" Quatre shouted, "He's already gotten that or haven't you been paying attention!"
Trowa shook his head, "And you thought the gift of destruction was inappropriate."
Wufei turned toward the group and explained himself, " I gave him the essence of 'Death' because Death cannot die. If ever he receives a kiss from his true love, he may only appear dead, having fallen into a deep sleep till he can be revived."
"And how does one revive him?" Quatre asked, still a little unsure of his friend's decision
"I don't know."
The king looked up suddenly, a startled expression on his face, "He's stopped crying. You've killed him!" He raced to the cradle and looked down at his son. Amethyst eyes stair back at him, a lone steam of tears drying on his cheek. The baby laughed and smiled at his father's face.
"I don't understand He was just crying."
Wufei shook his head, sympathy settling in over his stony features, " 'Death' doesn't cry." Quatre sighed and leaned back against the tapestries on the wall, "At least that's done with." Trowa nodded and looked at him skeptically, "Prate?" Quatre met his gaze, "Destruction?" Trowa blushed and turned away, leaving Quatre to smile victorious.
Many years passed and soon the Peacecraft's threat was behind them. Prince Solo and Prince Heero grew and became fast friends. While Heero tried to ignore the younger boy, Solo spent his time happily annoying the solitary one. It was an odd friendship but it worked. It was proven more on this day than any before it. Heero and Solo played together near a stony brook, five and four years old respectively at the time. Heero, daredevil he was, leapt across the brook with ease and landed safely on the other side. Solo watched this and, eagerly, went to do the same. He missed the other side and fell in, his pants soaked and his knee scraped and bloody.
Reluctantly, Heero climbed down after him and helped him out of the water and to the edge. He helped the smaller boy to a tree ad leaned him against it. Once Solo was sitting on the ground, Heero looked closely at his knee and then at his face.
"Does it hurt?" he asked, dabbing at it with his sleeve.
Solo nodded his head dumbly.
"Why aren't you crying?"
"I don't know how to." Solo said at last, "I've never cried."
Heero frowned then looked seriously at his friend." Do you want me to cry for you?"
Solo starred dumbly, unable to speak. He shook his head but kept his eyes trained on Heero. Heero knelt down and kissed his knee, mindful to first wipe away the blood again.
"My mommy always said a kiss makes everything feel better." He explained, "Does it still hurt?"
Solo shook his head again. "N-no. A-arigato, Heero-chan."
Heero stood and offered his friend his hand, "Come on. Let's go to your place. Your mommy can fix it up better than a kiss."
Solo took his hand and pulled himself up. The moment both feet were under him, he wrapped his arms around his friend and hugged his tightly.
"You're my best friend, Heero-chan. Thank you."
Heero smiled but pushed him away, "You're okay too, I guess. Come on, let's go."
The two children walked slowly back to the Churchill castle.
At that very moment, the three-just-fairy-men-who-just-happen-to-have-magical-powers-and-wings-but-are-in-no-way-effeminate-unless-you-count-the-blonde-one and Richard Churchill were discussing the fate of the cursed child.
"No! I don't see why that is important! We'll just keep Solo away from girls till the dawn after his sixteenth birthday! Then he'll be safe!"
Trowa shook is head, "That won't help. To keep his from falling in love you'd need to separate him from all human beings, male and female."
"Are you implying my son could be gay!?!"
The three-just-fairy-men-who-just-happen-to-have-magical-powers-and-wings-but-are-in-no-way-effeminate-unless-you-count-the-blonde-one all looked at each other then back to the king, "No, no, we didn't say that.. no.."
Quatre shook his head and whispered under his breath, "..um... yeah."
Wufei heard him and elbowed him in the ribs, "Prate?"
"Jerk."
"Can we get on to business?" Trowa asked.
"Certainly," King Richard said, "Now, what do you purpose we do, Trowa?"
Trowa sighed, "I'm believe that if you allow us to take Solo to a secluded forest till his sixteenth birthday, he'll be safer."
Richard Churchill shook his head, "You do realize what you ask for is impossible, don't you?" If you take him then I will have no choice but to tell my subjects that he is gone. The Great Peacecraft will hunt him down. Solo would be just as vulnerable in your hands as he would be here in mine."
"You're fooling yourself Your Majesty," Wufei spoke, "You don't wish to admit it but you've already given up on him. Your son is as good as dead to you."
Richard pounded hard at his thrown, "How dare you! You have no idea how I feel when I look at him and know I cannot prevent what fate has cast upon him!"
Trowa held the two men apart with his outstretched arms, "Stop, listen to me once more. We'll leave once this is said."
The others stood back, giving Trowa both the time and space to speak.
"Thank you. Your Majesty, if your fear is that Peacecraft will hunt him down while in our care then take this advice. Proclaim your son is dead. Tell your people Solo died of disease and let them believe you. Peacecraft cannot hunt down someone he presumes as dead."
"I cannot! A Churchill never lies!"
Trowa leaned in closer till is face was all Richard could see, "A lie or a life. It won't be much of a lie, anyway. Solo Churchill will be dead. From the day he is put in our care, he will become Duo Maxwell. A fitting name for someone with two identities.
The king sank low in his thrown and waved them away, "So be it. From this day forth, my son, Solo Churchill, is dead."
They left without warning that night. Quatre carried the young 'Duo' while the others made way with the rest of their plan. Now disguised as woodcutters, they fled the kingdom and settled down in the small cottage in the glenn. King Churchill and his Queen watched from the castle walls as they disappeared into the night, fearing they may never see their son again.
The next morning, Young Prince Heero came to the castle.
"Guard, tell Solo I'm here to play."
The guard sniffed back tears and cautiously laid a hand on the small boys shoulder. "Prince Heero... I'm sorry but Prince Solo died last night."
Heero laughed mockingly, "Very funny. He told you to say that, didn't he. Where's Solo?"
"Guard, please, leave us."
Heero turned to see King Churchill standing behind him, a somber expression on his face.
The guard saluted and marched off. King Churchill wrapped an arm around the child and kneeled to his small height, "Prince Heero... Solo got very sick last night. He's dead. I know he was your friend. I'm very sorry, young prince."
Heero tried to see past the sad eyes the king showed but nothing but sorrow lay behind them. "Solo's...not coming out to play?"
The king shook his head, "Never again. I'm sorry."
Richard Churchill stood and walked away, whipping his eye with his sleeve. Heero stood there watching him as he left. Everyone was crying, he noticed. Everyone but himself. Heero turned and walked away, making a silent promise never to cry. Just like his lost friend, he'd never let his sadness or pain show again. Heero stepped out into the streets and into his carriage
"Where's your friend?" the driver asked.
Heero looked out the window , "He's not coming today. Let's go home."